Elastic material



July 28, 1953 I 5555 2,646,828

I ELASTIC MATERIAL Filed me 14. 1950 Patented July 28, 1953 ELASTIC MATERIAL Richard Hesse, Easthampton, Mass., assignor to United Elastic Corporation,

Easthampton Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts g This invention relates to an improved woven material and particularly to material of the elastic webbing type in which covered rubber threads are utilized to produce an elastic webbing suitable for use as a belting material in form ing waist bands, belts, and the like. In women's wearing apparel of the type including a blouse and skirt ensemble, it is sometimes difiicult' to maintain the waist band or top portion of the'skirt snugly in place over the bpttom portion of the blouse, without actually attaching the garments to one another, and it is especially difiicult to hold the blouse from pulling out around the waist band when the wearer is engaged in physical activities.

,The present invention is concerned with the matter-of more securely holding blouse and skirt ensembles in proper relative position, and aims to devise a belting material for more positivelyresisting the tendency of such garments to slip away from one anotherfand become separated when thewearer is engaged in physical activities. It is also an object of the invention to provide a-waist band which may be used without beingattached to either the skirt or blouse, and which includes means for simultaneously se-' curing the skirt and blouse together with an improved holding action. Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of" weaving elastic webbing in which novel gripping surfaces are formed. r

*These and other objects and novel features will be more fully understood and appreciated from thefollowing description of a 'preferred'embodimerit of 'the invention selected for purposes of illustration 'and shown in the accompanying drawings," in which -Fig' 'l is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of a preferred form of the elastic material of the invention;

Fig- 2 an elevational view of the elastic material taken along one edge thereof; H

Fi'gi"'3"'isan enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view. taken on the line 3-3, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1; and

:"QFig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-esectionali'viewtaken on the line 5.-5.of Fig. 1.

:In generaI, the invention comprises a strip of elastic material provided with groups of raised rubber friction surfaces or knobs arranged to stand out from the side or sides of the elastic material in a position to develop novel gripping effects-"on fabrics and otherbodies with which the frictionsurfaces-may be brought into contact.

Application June 14, 1950, Serial No. 168,108 1 Claim. (01. 139-421) 'In' one preferred embodiment the elastic material is'employed in a length suitable for constituting a separate belt or waist band and raised rubber gripping surfaces are provided on both sides of the belt or waist band. It is intended that this belt be worn with a blouse and skirt, or slacks ensembles, in such relationship to these garments as to completely encircle the bottom portion of the blouse and to lie between the blouse and the inner waist band of the skirt or slacks, and to contact both garments so that the raised surfaces on one side of the belt may engage against the blouse while the raised surfaces on the other side may engage with the overlapping skirt or slack portions.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, Fig.

1 illustrates a strip of elastic webbing generally denoted by the arrow A and including covered rubber strands 8 and 9 woven together with groups of uncovered rubber strands, such as shown at l0, l2, l4 and I5. In accordance with the invention the uncovered rubber strands are caused to standout from opposite sides of the webbing to produce raised rubber surfaces which are. formed to provide a novel gripping action derived in part from a multiplicity of tiny friction edges present in the raised surfaces; and in part from the ability of the raised rubber strand portions to stretch and contract upon themselves both longitudinally and transversely of the beltthroughout the webbing A, for example in spacedapart groups, to form one or more rows which extend longitudinally of the webbing and the raised rubber surfaces in any one row may be arranged in staggered relation with respect to the raised rubber surfaces of an adjacent row.

. In each of the groups of raised surfacesthe constituent rubberstrands extend "side by side longitudinally of the belting. Each strand is so woven into the webbing 8 as to provide a series of. projecting loops and the rubber portions of the strand constituting these loops are in an'u'n'-'- stretched or relatively lightly stretched condition. 1 ,Also, the loops of one strand in a given raised surface occur in closely compacted but' staggered relation to the loops of an adjacent strand, with the result that each raised surface,

, in effect, is a composite friction surface made up of a'numberof curved or rounded rubber crowns,

Each loop or crown has edges which are offset' from" those of adjacent loops or crowns, aswill be fully apparent from an'inspection of the loops will be notedv from an inspectionof Fig. 1,. the raised rubber surfaces may be repeated positionof strand H! ,in the.,threads Qor strands.

edges cooperate with one another to exert a strong frictional gripping action with respect to a fabric which is moved transversely across the rubber loops.

Moreover, each one of the loops constitutes 5 strand portions which are in a relatively relaxed or unstret ched c.onditio n, permitting the raised rubber surfaces to expand and contract upon themselves when the elastic webbing is flexed or stretched during wear. There is thus developed a novel gripping effect which may be increas by increasing the number of rows of the gr'oups and which is especially sui tedfor engagement with the fibers of fabrics with the raised rubber surfaces. g

In their relaxed state the looped porti ons if lying in contact with a fabric surfaceftend -to yield and spread apart when the fabric rnovgecl; transversely with respect to the strip. Since the sed. p i ns.a emresil'ient t ewwfll t nd...

j t 'et eizla a i zand bi raspfl dh ld hen q e anot r. ti yyfi ers o theiab icrporii et ed; It is pointed. Q tthatthis ,hjold nie pp n e t on fi ers ofaifabricmay; k p qe hsr e wee heiiloop uq a jacent; an o ,b w en v he c eedinejt o in j 'io a" and. lnithe former casejthe gripping is 'largely developed b ldire'ctly opposing gniove meptof a fabric transversely across f In ,th'e latte r case; holding and grip-j 3O ction develops asaresult of stretchingth'ei A r webbing longitudinally. of' itself, such as [may occur with body' movements, thus extending'the looped portions; As the looped portions, of any onenof the strands contractj theytend to .s'ti'l z to;and drawbetween them, fiber ends of 'jaj, fabric lying in contactwith'the, raised surface; 7 Y 7. A

A further important feature of the invention is the provision of the raised surfaces on bothj' 40 sidesof the'el'a'stid Webbinfg A', in thegfnanner illustrated in Fig;f2, in order. to provide dual. gripp i gsurfaces This relative arrangement of raisedlfiili face's is achieved with. theisair'iestrjands, Y which", form the" first noted raised surfaces, and" is conveniently. carried out, for, 'exalnplepby weavingeachpf the strandsof any on'ej gjroup. so "that they'are raised. out of one. side ..of the webbing-for a certain number of 'picksand then alternately raised from the opposite side'of the- Webbing for. another series of pickscorrespond ing-l'toflthesaidIfirst. series; This procedure is repeated ,throughout the length .of the I webbing. Such an operation has been diagrammatically. indicated in Figs, 2, 4 and5,in which the woven of the. Webbing-3 is 'illus'tr'atedlt lsh'ould be; understoodj however, -that Qth'e specific weaviiig; arrangement set forth in the drawings T may ibe variedi in difi'erent vvays' to' produce mbdiiied rms of ra s dr pp sur ace ;i In; .1.isin g flthe. dual gripping. surfaces .at pp:v posit sideso'f the, elastic -webbing,;it is,' a's noted; abo. ,lf 'intendedthat the strip or belt jrnade therefrom be Qplaced ever. heuewrsum er 5 a garment; such as .a blouse; or Isimilar 'piece of fwearingapparel and for pnrpose's o'f 'illust tiol nrthis' member has'been showmfragmenta ly. in assets i e d; da eq w t numeral 26.. -At the. other side ofthe beltiw hich maybe constituted .by .the strip A illustratednn Fig-- 2, there may be disposed a waist,.or

similar-mortion-of a skirt, slacksgonother type of M el epa l w ishth zb eg di ltiee i itat d i gr s-1 9329 Webe 3 4 meral 22. It will be seen that the raised rubber surfaces occurring on opposite sides of the elastic webbing are thus positioned between the two garment portions in a position such that they may exercise a gripping effect on each of the garments, thus functioning to hold them in a relatively fixedmosition-witlt respect to one another and serving especially to -=prvent the edges of the member 20 from being pulled away from overlapping portions of the member 22.

In thistype of application of the invention it will-=-r'eadily be observed that as the strip is stretched longitudinally of itself, the adjacent loop' portions of any one of the strands will be drawn;.-apart from one another and as they contract while in contact with the surface of the garment "2D,"*'will'--seek to grip the fibers thereof. A similargripping action is developed by any one of the strands with respect to fibers of the o tere rmentgis t wi l be p ar n mmthefore in essr pn th ti fh v p Qv ed "aniim r vedl l material; especially suited for useyas 1a 1961, material It 'shouldbe observed that'afluajlg ping effect is thus simultaneously ,achieye'd 1 hi h t s ced-a ar ips of :rubberi' 1 i o o s e ar mp em nted .bvemim' ei raised surfaces on: the, Qt B iSide -so that for given side "of Ithe elastic, material. the'ife Will gQd-Q. cur' two groups .of raisedgsur facejs with vening depressed orrecessed' are oppOSiteQside of ,the materiall thele iylll gcclllf groups of raised surfaces fat points directly ope pcsite'to the pointsof rec ssing in'theiirst noted; Side- 4 r.

While I have showmpreferred embodimentspf the invention, it "should, be n e g es. "hat Changes. a d eeifiwfie -m iilb -.1 'Qr1 .d to 1 keep n w th e ri (If e n mifln" s $1. 1., ed'b h append dcl m;

Having us; d cr be m vez t o mv et desireto, claim as new is: j

In a a l f manufa t re-a Wo n el st c; br c; e hab e: b h lQns tud n B andz r ma rs 1-y;=,--a p uralit o sp cedartcg ou fq t es en sathe ye a t crst ands tea h green; beingil side bysidarelation and woventinto the; bri ir hrant f el t cv t arids p o ct n war y-m ei hris t o d a p urali f raised frictional loops jhegspaced, apart groups; befngat eac e. f hefabri w h the erqi i in st g ered .=re1ation, -1 he el sticil opsi Q a hi er upi sh vi e s w i ar :ofi e f mnt ose;

i of adjacent loopsandgthe individualgloops; be-

in in un tretched: con ition; w ereby r he q ps'z upon stretching of the fabricmay expandgand; contract and tenfi'. to ,drawtogether foxy binding fibersiof'adiacen fabic portionsr ew... ai'sma ,Feb, ,zsf'iiios" 978,541 Bauniea 1 1,666,685 Chisholm 2,1 9,344 Clement; 

